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Philip C Elrod

Uncle Herbert

Synopsis

Every family has weird relative somewhere in the family tree. But, Andrew Benson would have chopped down that tree if he’d known what his diabolically clever Uncle Herbert had planned for him. Uncle Herbert seems to be a harmless misfit but he has set in motion events that will change Andrew and his family forever.
Uncle Herbert will bestow vast wealth on Andrew but that wealth comes with a price. Andrew’s fate, and that of the entire planet will hang in the balance. As the clock ticks down to zero hour, Andrew will encounter danger, adventure, international crime, and romance. Will he succeed, or are we all doomed?
Uncle Herbert is a fast paced adventure with a dash of science fiction to spice up the tale

Author Biography

Philip C. Elrod was raised in Crossville, a small town on top of Sand Mountain in Northeast Alabama. He served in the US Army, stationed in Germany and returned to attend college at the University of Florida and Florida Southern College Majoring in Industrial Engineering and Economics.
Science fiction, based on the fictional planet, Mylea, and tales of Sand Mountain, action thrillers based on characters created from his childhood memories, are his two favorite writing genres. His science fiction is more science than fantasy – he calls it sci-fi lite.
Secrets of Sand Mountain, the first in the Sand Mountain Tales Series, is a growing up, romantic, action thriller. Uncle Herbert: Time is running out, is the second in the series and adds a bit of sci-fi to spice up the action.
Mr. Elrod, his wife Linda, and two very special little canines enjoy living in Texas. His interests include astronomy, photography, outdoor cooking and travel, especially RV travel with his wife and pets.
Mr. Elrod can be reached from his author’s website: www.pcelrod.com

Author Insight

Be careful what you wish for.

In the country there is a saying, "Everything has its price."
Andrew Benson discovered that his uncle's largess also had a price - and it had to be paid - and time was running our!
Andrew had to do a lot of very fast growing up while, at the same time, trying to stay alive .

Book Excerpt

Uncle Herbert

Prologue

The day arrived at last. It would be over soon. Thank God. I looked up at the clear, blue sky as I counted the passing seconds. I couldn’t stop this even if I wanted to.

I knelt down and said a prayer, knowing what was coming. The roar of the blast deafened me, and the bright flash almost blinded me. I stood up and looked about. There had been an explosion, but not what I had expected. What have we done? Did we succeed, or have we doomed those whom we love the most?

****

My name is Andrew Benson, and my story begins in my tiny hometown of Campbell Crossing, Alabama, where I grew up. Life is still uncomplicated there, and I never dreamed that a visit from my black sheep uncle would change my life forever.

Our family was self-sufficient, but there was no way that they could afford to send me to college. Eventually, I came to terms with the fact that I’d probably have to learn a trade unless I received a miracle.

I did apply for scholarships at several schools, but I suspected that I was wasting stamps.

I was right.

Dad helped me get a job as an apprentice with the local auto mechanic, but that couldn’t last. The owner needed expensive new equipment to work on the newer model cars that had computerized everything. He couldn’t afford the expense so he would be forced to close his business.

My boss was right. Computers rule almost everything. We are slaves to them and can’t even think of getting along without our smartphones, PCs and the myriad of other devices controlled by microprocessors. I wanted to be a part of that world…maybe in Silicon Valley at some dot-com giant.

My friends didn’t seem to have a care in the world. They didn’t think about the future other than the next beer they could buy with their fake IDs. They chased girls, raced cars, and smoked an occasional marijuana cigarette.

The summer of my junior year was no different than any other except that I was working in the garage. The place was miserably hot and smelled of old grease.

Late one afternoon, a summer storm struck. The rain brought a temporary relief from the heat, but a nearby lightning strike left us without electricity. Mr. Edwards, the mechanic, just threw up his hands in frustration and said that he was closing the shop early. I didn’t complain.

That summer thunderstorm must have been an omen of some sort. I got home, and there it was, sitting on the hall table in stony silence. I knew what that white envelope with the return address of Auburn University would contain. My first letter of rejection.

I picked it up, leaving greasy fingerprints on its pristine, white surface. My hands shook as I tore it open, but I couldn’t force my eyes to read the contents for a few seconds.

The letter was polite but to the point. I didn’t qualify for a scholarship.

I hated the invisible bureaucrat who had signed that form letter. How could someone doom a person to a life of obscurity with the mere flourish of a pen?

Additional letters trickled in. All the same. No scholarship. The last, lingering rays of hope withered and died. I would never leave Sand Mountain.

I would join the ranks of all those Bensons before me who now reposed in the cemetery of the Methodist Church. I could almost see their ghosts gliding about through the ancient tombstones, moaning and lamenting their lost dreams…their lost hopes. The wind, whispering through the trees, would not comfort them for they knew that their children would never break the bonds holding them to that small town.

Then, Uncle Herbert came for a visit. That visit changed everything.

The following is my story and I swear that it’s true. At least, I think that it’s true.